As a business consultant I meet with many individuals who are thinking about starting their own business and one of the topics that we ultimately talk about is the proposed business name.  There are a variety of things that should be taken into consideration when selecting a business name.  Does it give the potential customer a clear idea of what type of products and or services they will be selling?  If it is important to have a webpage, does the name translate or abbreviate well on the Internet? What image does the name imply and does it appropriately convey the image that the business owner wants to portray?  Is the name too similar to your competition?

I recently read a blog by Jodi Helmer for Entrepreneur.com and an article on the SBA’s website that talked about some key things to think about when selecting your business name.

They included:

1) Does the name have a professional sound;

2) Will the printed name and/or logo also look professional and help to build the business brand;

3) Does it reflect the business culture/image;

4) Is it unique.  Is an appropriate domain name available? and

5) Do you know exactly what you need to do to “register” that name.

To read the full blog and article, click on these links https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230201?newsletter=true and  https://www.sba.gov/content/how-name-business.  Free, confidential business consulting is available through the Inland Empire Small Business Development Center, if you live in the High Desert; contact Louisa Miller at 760-951-1592.